The Shimian Freehold
Shimian Republic|map = Freehold World.png|Geographical Location = Map}}The Shimian Freehold was an ancient civilization founded by the denizens of the Shimian Peninsula and is known for its feudal economy and family-dominated government. The Shimian Freehold rose to prominence in the first millenium, becoming an economic and scientific superpower. Its scientific discoveries in the field of astronomy and medical sciences allowed it to develop incredibly advanced navigational methods for the time. The onset of the Shinsei Trial led to three decades of destruction that ended with the seperation of the Shimian homeland from the Summerlandic mainland and the rise of the Shimian Republic. At its height, the Freehold held large swathes of land along the southern Summerlandic coastline including the possession of the distant colony of Port O'Sey. It shared a deep and bitter trade rivalry with the Talon Kingdom and the early Thorian Empire. Geography According to many ancient Shimian relics, the Freehold once controlled over a large corridor of land connecting the Shimian peninsla to the northern territories. Recent discoveries in Port Syrianis have also led to the speculation that the Shimians also controlled a section of the Syrianis Peninsula. However theories have arrisen stating that the Freehold once controlled the entire Syrianis peninsula and the lack of relics can be explained because it is well known that the Katriontran Dynasty demolished many such temples and relics during their invasion of the Summerlands. About a thousand years later, the Shimians built floating islands around the Shimian Home Island in order to repopulate. History Creation and growth (0-975 A.A.W) Much about the history of Shima's inception is shrouded in mystery, but it is presumed that the denizens of the Shimian peninsula travelled northwards spreading the Shimian core ideology of peace, as well as the teachings of Kalvaar, one of the Four Gods. As the Freehold expanded, the Iga family soon became a dominant part of the nation's ruling and governance. The Shimians were highly reliant on local cooperation and trust, and for the majority of its existance Shimian culture remained relatively unchanged, up until the Shinsei Trial. As cited in both Shimian and Thorian sources, the Shimian Freehold maintained a highly diplomatic relationship with the Thorian Empire. Despite this, the two civilizations were embroiled in a fierce trade rivalry, however it was the Shimian's superior navigational technology that allowed them to gain a foothold against the superior resources at the Thorian's disposal. Arrival of the Freeman Family and Inception of the Shinsei Trial (975-983 A.A.W) Sometime around 975 A.A.W, a group of travellers descending from the northern territories travelled south. This group was known as the Freeman family. The Freemans were a colonial family founded by a former freed slave. They brought with them highly ambitous ideas of technology that could be used to improve the old fashioned methods of farming and other such things. These plans were generally met with acceptance from the other families, except for the Iga family. As the Freeman family grew and became an intergrated part of the Freehold, the Iga Family, believing that the Freemans were the beginning of the end of the Freehold, ordered the shamans of every village loyal to Iga to kidnap members of the Freeman family and sacrifice them in an attempt to wipe them out. In 979, a group of Freemans were taken to the legendary mountain Tengoku which was a dormant volcano. This fact was overlooked by the shamans, who performed a ritual of death and sacrifice in hopes of wiping the Freeman family out with disease and pestilence. Over the course of the following week, the snow and ice on the mountain began to melt and the valleys below were flooded. Exactly one week later, the mountain erupted in flame and fire. The Shimian priest Sukai Aki described the sight in one of his historical scrolls: "And in the seventh hour, the sky turned black, and the blood red of the fallen mountain enveloped the eastern sky. The land that had once housed families and cows, now twisted and turned like a piece of paper and in the depths of the hottest hell came forth something unconcievable." Many of the towns and villages caught fire, and a flood of refugees rushed south to the Shimian capital provinces. According to many Shimian historical sources, waves of demons, known as Gremora in the Shimian tongue, craving the blood of Shimians flooded forth from the volcano, and soon the Shimian Freehold was at war. The Shimian's control of its northern territories soon diminished, allowing the Thorians to seize the land. The areas around Mount Tengoku soon became "concentration camps" in which the Gremora enslaved countless numbers of Shimians and used them to fulfill their own deed, such as erecting monuments and temples, and as sex slaves and "toys" for torture. This resulted in the decline of the Freehold, and its inevitable collapse in 983 A.A.W. Gennosuke Freeman, the Red Covenant and the End of the Shinsei Trial (989-1006 A.A.W.) By 989 A.A.W, all seemed lost for the Shimians. Much of the former families were wiped out, and the larger ones (both Iga and Freeman) were brought to their knees. In the country, villages that once considered each other rivals, now joined forces in order to protect each other. Total national order had broken down to local communities and militias fighting for their survival against a superior foe. In 989, Gennosuke Freeman, an Iga-Freeman hybrid stepped forward and took control of the failing Shimian resistance. Gennosuke, a bastard child of the head of the Freeman clan, was regarded by many unable to take a position of leadership due to his hybrid nature. Despite this, Gennosuke who was known to have a natural ability to convey his ideas to large audiences, gave a speech. A part of it was recorded in a Shimian historical scroll: "We, the people of Great Shima, are destined for better than where we are now. This chaos began with a seed of fear, and this seedling grew into panic and death. Fear is a potent and powerful thought, but it is not the strongest. Kinship is. We, as a race, will prevail not as familes but as one. One people, one race and one mind united against a common foe. We will drive these fear-incarnations back into the doors of hell and see to it that our children will have a secure and sound future, free of pain and fear. " According to historical sources, Gennosuke received a large patriotic response. Over the coming months, Gennosuke and a small band of warriors sprang surprise and vicious attacks against the Gremora, often freeing villages and prisoners. The colour red soon became a major part of the movement, known as the Red Covenant. The red represented the blood of the demons, and was often worn by the men of the resistance. Red banners were a common sight. By 994 A.A.W, the southern areas of Shima were liberated from the Gremora. By this time, Gennosuke had earned a powerful reputation as a warrior and hardened battle commander. In his final push to victory, Gennosuke sent every village in the captured regions a message asking to help with the liberation of the Home Land. Nearly everyone, both Iga and Freeman answered the call. Over the course of 994-1001 A.A.W, the Red Covenant tricked the Gremora into leaving the heavily defended territories of Tengoku by charging in,waiting for a large group of Gremora to spot them, and charge back, with the Gremora following in hot pursuit. By 1001 A.A.W, more than 80,000 of the predicted 150,000 Gremora were slain. The slave camps established by the Gremora were liberated. In their final push, Gennosuke had the Shimian shamans perform a spell to create an earthquake that would destroy Tengoku and send the Gremora to their demise. As described in Sukai Aki's historical scroll: "The ground rumbled viciously and without remorse. Every man, woman and child were on the ground by the time it began. In the distance we watched the fragile, sensitive and scarred land become consumed by the waves. The once mighty Tengoku, symbol of freedom and happiness now tainted by the blood of Satan, crumbled away and vanished beneath the water. Soon, only the waves remained where land once stood. We were now islanders, no longer connected to the mainland." The resulting earthquake destroyed Tengoku and the land around it. Shima now became an island. At the same time, the Gremora threat was overcome, and the Shinsei Trial was now complete. The creation of the Shimian Republic (1007 A.A.W) Now considered to be the father of the new Shimian culture, Gennosuke wrote a book outlining his idea for a ideology based on peace and prosperity. Armed with his new ideology, Gennosuke and the Red Covenant founded the Shimian Republic, which has existed in near-perfect harmony to this day. Gennosuke became known as the Father of the Country and died in 1023 A.A.W to nation-wide mourning. He is revered to this day in the modern day Republic. Government Not much is known about the governance of the realm, but recovered scrolls have shown an insight into how the political process occured. The noble land-owning families of the realm convened in the Circle of Families where they decided on matters of domestic and foreign trade, diplomacy and matters of extreme importance. Only families of native Shimian origin were allowed entry into the Circle. Families from the colonies were forbidden from joining, although a great deal of cooperation existed between the Circle and the colonial families. Culture Shimian culture is in many ways exactly the same as that of the modern Shimian Republic. After the Shinsei Trial, magics used in many traditional arts and plays were removed as magic was considered to be an instigator of doom. Arts Traditional Shimian buildings were built almost only out of wood, and used sliding doors and wooden mats over traditional doors and carpets. Although most Shimian artwork was lost during the Shinsei Trial, recovered paintings show many uses of erotic and sexual themes. Old Shimian artwork was painted on woodblocks, something that is no longer traditionally done in the modern Shimian Republic. Cuisine Shimian cuisine is based on combining staple foods, typically rice or noodles, with a soup and okazu — dishes made from fish, vegetable, tofu and the like – to add flavor to the staple food. After the Shinsei Trial, ingredients such as red meats that had previously not been widely used in Old Shima were introduced. Shimian cuisine is known for its emphasis on seasonality of food, quality of ingredients and presentation. Shimian cuisine offers a vast array of regional specialties that use traditional recipes and local ingredients.Category:The Ancient Empires